The longevity of Kojima Productions’ stunning Silent Hills demo PT proves that the developer was onto something incredible with its reboot of Konami’s legendary survival horror series, but new rumours reveal just how far the studio was willing to go with the title. According to Alanah Pearce – a games writer and producer who’s worked at various high-profile outlets over the past few years – the title would have required you to sign a waiver before playing as “it would somehow interact with your real-world self, like by sending you emails or text messages as characters from the game even when you weren't actively playing”.

Now obviously, even if we assume this rumour is accurate, the idea may never have got further than the concept stage. Nevertheless, this is a creepy concept befitting of the extended version of the scariest gameplay demo ever conceived. Picture the scene: it’s 3AM and you’ve just got done creeping through a hallway inhabited by the unavoidable spectre of petrifying poltergeist Lisa. You go to bed, and your phone buzzes. It’s Norman Reedus and he wants to let you know that there’s someone in your house. Freaky!